Meditation Chip Brogden

January 7

Defeating Darkenss

“This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” 
LUKE 22:53

Despised and rejected of men, betrayed by Judas, forsaken by the disciples, condemned by the Jews and crucified by the Romans. You say what has happened to you is unfair? The crucifixion of Jesus was the most unfair event in human history. He allowed them “their hour.” Go ahead and take the greatest concentration of evil you can find, bring the full force of death and hell and satan against the Lord Jesus, let evil do all it can do. What is the end result? He is raised up triumphant over it all.
Jesus did not avoid death. Sometimes death is unavoidable. Sometimes darkness is unavoidable. Sometimes evil appears to have the advantage. But in death, in darkness, in the worst evil, Life and Light come forth and God is glorified. If not here where we can see it, then in the End, when all things are revealed, when He makes all things new and wipes away every tear from every eye.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden


©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

January 6

Power in the Cross

“Though He was crucified in weakness, yet He lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God.” 
2 CORINTHIANS 13:4

As we daily embrace the Cross we will discover that the truth of our freedom in Christ becomes more real to us than the sin that used to imprison us. We will learn that the Cross is not a mere theory, philosophy, or theological teaching; the Cross is a very real, practical, spiritual principle of Life overcoming Death, Light overcoming Darkness, and God’s Power being revealed in the midst of our weakness.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

Hey Elaine

It's the new year, so EVERYONE is talking about making resolutions and setting goals.

You know...

- Eat less
- Exercise more
- Stop doing this
- Start doing that

Etc.

We all know that in a month or two, those resolutions will be broken and most people will go back to doing whatever they were doing before.

Why?

There are a lot of reasons.

But one of the most important things I've learned is the value of GOAL-SETTING WITH GOD, based on following HIS PURPOSE for your life!

And I was frustrated because after checking out nearly every single goal-setting course in the world, none of them adequately addressed the issue of involving GOD with your goals.

They were either too "spiritual" with no practical help, or too "worldly" with no spiritual value.

So I put together this teaching course specifically for people of faith (like you and me) that balances spiritual principles with practical wisdom.

Here's a short message that explains more:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/listen/a-balanced-christian-life/

I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

http://Sonrise.TV

P.S. After going through this course, a listener wrote: “I have taken many other courses about finding my purpose, and of course read countless books, but this one is far and away the best.”

That's awesome!

Go here to see for yourself:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/listen/a-balanced-christian-life

PO Box 552, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA

January 5

Kingdom Mysteries

“To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables.” 
LUKE 8:10

The parables are not quaint little stories; they are prophetic declarations of spiritual truth, and they give us invaluable insight into this Irresistible Kingdom.
Concealing the truth within the context of a parable was necessary, Jesus said, because “To you [the disciples] it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to the rest it is given in parables.”
Those who want to understand the mysteries of the Kingdom have to have a relationship with the King. The mysteries of the Kingdom are reserved, not for passive listeners, but for true followers: so “when they were alone, He explained all things to His disciples” (Mark 4:34).
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

January 4

Vision of Victory

“Take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” 
EPHESIANS 6:13

If we see the devil as defeated then we will not fight, we will stand. If we see ourselves as earthly then we will behave in an earthly manner: our words, our thoughts, our prayers, our deeds, our warfare will be carried out in an earthly manner. If we see ourselves seated with Christ in the heavenlies then we will behave in a heavenly manner, as a heavenly people, bringing the Mind and Will and Kingdom of God to bear upon that which is contrary to Christ on the earth.
How do we obtain heavenly vision? We must ask to see as He sees. We must pray that God will illuminate our heart. Our vision affects our actions.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

Hey Elaine

One thing I'm deeply concerned about is a lack of Scriptural integrity.

Instead of "making things up" and trying to sound super-spiritual with crazy new ideas, if we just go to Scripture, everything we need to know is right there, waiting to be discovered.

My opinions are no better than anyone else's - that's why I've spent most of my life teaching Scripture and proving my points from Scripture.

Towards that end, we just posted the last three messages from the massive teaching on Matthew.

Go here to get them:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/?p=15255

These include:

- The Last Supper (Matthew 26)
- The Crucifixion (Matthew 27)
- The Resurrection and Great Commission (28)

These chapters are important because they summarize the entire series.

Matthew 27 is of particular importance because of some of the prophetic parallels between the Spirit of Religion that killed Jesus and the Spirit of Religion that seeks to kill you and me.

When I recorded these I was sick and my computer was fried, so I was using a telephone conference call to get these messages out. My approach is always that you "do what you gotta do." If you can overlook those minor issues and focus on the content I think you will find it worthwhile.

This completes the Matthew series, with the exception of Chapter 3, which will have to be re-recorded.

Go here to download all these messages:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/?p=15255

Looking forward to opening the Scriptures with you again in the days to come.


I am your brother,

Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

http://Sonrise.TV

PO Box 552, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA

January 3

Why Do the Righteous Suffer?

"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You."
JOB 42:5

The testing of Job was a valid test, a crucial one, and a crucible through which each Christian will be purged, sifted, and tried. To what end? It is summed up in the words of Job himself as he neared the end of his ordeal: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye sees You.” BUT NOW! BUT NOW! BUT NOW! Before he heard about Him, but now he sees Him, and falls to the ground. Before he worshipped Him having heard, now he worships having seen, and known.
I believe that God set him up for such experiential knowledge by allowing him to be subjected to the assaults of the devil, the harshness of his environment, the misunderstanding of his friends, the loss of his family and material possessions, and his physical infirmity. I submit that if anyone desires to take up the Cross and follow Christ, such testing is the only realistic expectation His disciple can entertain.
Source: The Seed of Apostasy by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

January 2

Take Up the Cross

“Come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” 
MARK 10:21

What does it really mean to be crucified with Christ? Thankfully, God does not ask us to submit to physical crucifixion in order to prove that we are disciples of Jesus. When Jesus tells us to take up our Cross and follow Him, He is not telling us that we must pay the penalty for our sins. Thank God that Jesus has paid the penalty for us! Taking up the Cross, for us, is adopting a spiritual attitude of self-denial, of surrender, and of yielding all that we have and all that we are to God.
Although that aspect of the Cross occurs in us day by day and moment by moment, what Christ accomplished through His death on the Cross is finished, complete, and settled once and for all. This finished work of the Cross is the basis upon which we can take up the Cross daily and follow after Him.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

Hey Elaine

Here's what I was doing on New Years Eve:
http://Sonrise.TV


Praise the Lord and Happy New Year!


I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

PO Box 552, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA

January 1

An Irresistible Purpose

“According to the eternal purpose
which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 
EPHESIANS 3:11

When we really look at what the Bible says and grasp the implications of the Gospel according to Jesus then we soon discover that this Good News is better than we could have ever dared to hope. It is a story of recovering something that was once thought to be totally lost, redeeming something that was once thought to be absolutely hopeless. It is a story of God bringing something wonderfully good out of something terribly evil. It is a story of God bringing Life and Light out of so much death and darkness. It is a story of love, and the incredible lengths to which that Love will go to secure the object of its affection.
The Gospel is more, so much more, than how to avoid hell and go to heaven; it is the story of an Idea, a Purpose, an Intention, a Plan, which is working itself out in this universe even as you sit here reading these words.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 31

Of Him, Through Him, To Him

“For of Him, and through Him, and to Him,
are all things, to Whom be glory forever. Amen.” 
ROMANS 11:36

In Romans 11:36 Paul sums up the preeminence of Christ into three expressions: “Of Him… through Him… to Him… are all things.”
“Of Him” says that everything which exists – things in heaven, things in earth, everything that was created, everything that has come into being, everything that will come into being – is created by, and because of, Christ. “Through Him” says that everything which lives, moves, breathes, operates, exists, or functions in this universe, whether animate or inanimate, whether biological, chemical, spiritual, natural, or cosmotological – does so through Christ, Who sovereignly upholds all these things, determines their place, and keeps them in order. “To Him” says that everything, no matter how far from God’s Thought it may be, no matter how chaotic things may appear, is being directed, summed up, and gathered together into Christ. As the Alpha, all things flow from Him; as the Omega, all things flow to Him.
That is quite a paragraph. A paragraph like that cannot be grasped in one reading. But that paragraph is, in essence, what Paul means, and what we mean, by Christ having the preeminence in all things. We are talking about Jesus as Lord over us individually, over the Ekklesia corporately, and over all creation collectively. We are talking about a preeminent Christ Who is exalted above every principality and power, rule and dominion; things visible, things invisible; things past, things present, things future; things in heaven, things in earth, things under the earth: all things are of Him, all things are through Him, and all things are to Him. That is preeminence.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 30

The Authority of the Ekklesia

“As we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ.” 
ROMANS 12:4,5

There is tremendous authority in the Ekklesia, but it bears repeating: the greater the authority, the greater the responsibility. There is no such thing as authority in the Kingdom of God without responsibility. If God gives you authority to represent Him, there is a reason. Authority is not given to us so we can order people around and make them serve us. Authority is given so we may carry out our own responsibility. There is a task, a function, a mission, an assignment, given to every member of the Ekklesia. Since all the members share in the same authority, all the members share in the same responsibility – though not all share in the same function.
Just as different parts of the body have an equal responsibility to perform their specific function, so the many members of the Body of Christ have equal responsibility to function in the time, place, and manner which is given to them by the authority of the Head.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 29

When Temptation Fails

“The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” 
JOHN 14:30

The temptations of Christ were not random attempts to trick Him into making a mistake, but were part of a calculated effort to destroy or disqualify Him by any means necessary. From that time on the adversary determined that a direct assault against the Lord Jesus was a pointless waste of time. Why? Because He was so selfless!
You cannot tempt a man who seeks nothing for himself. He wanted nothing and desired nothing but what was given to Him from Above. With Jesus the only option was to destroy Him through the evil intentions of other people. Even in this the Lord Jesus merely passed through crowds who sought to stone Him. He was untouchable and unkillable. Eventually He submitted Himself to betrayal and crucifixion; but even in this He overcame death and rose up in victory. Never before or since has any man so thoroughly routed his enemy. The devil had finally met his match.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

Hey Elaine

I'm praying for God to raise up 1,000,000 spiritual leaders who are Christ-centered, Spirit-led, and Scripturally-based.

Read this to find out why:

SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP: WHO NEEDS IT?
http://theschoolofchrist.org/?p=16468

If you are willing to agree with me in prayer along these lines, please write back and let me know.

Let's stand together for God's Kingdom and Will to be fulfilled in the earth!


I am your brother
Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

PO Box 552, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA

December 28

The Irresistible Seed

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” 
MARK 4:26-29

Once the seed is in the ground it just naturally comes forth the way God intended – but not immediately. First the blade, then the head, then the full grain in the head. Like everything else in God’s creation, it is progressive.
Likewise, we “do not know how” this Irresistible Kingdom continues to grow and develop, yet it persists in doing so. It really is irresistible. Eventually the harvest will come and we will see the end result. Only then will the magnitude of God’s infinite wisdom and the greatness of His Purpose be revealed in all its fullness.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 26

How to Defeat Evil

“I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do
what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” 
ROMANS 7:15 ESV

We eventually discover, like Paul, that the real problem is not what we DO, but what we ARE. We can confess the same sins over and over again, or we can take up the Cross and die to them all. The first approach deals with sins committed, while the second approach deals with the sinner.
Which do you think is more effective? Well, if the one who sins is dead then the issue of continued sinning becomes irrelevant. Hating sin is good; hating Self is better, and far more effective. For the strength of Sin is Self. If you take the ax to the root of a bad tree, then it will stop producing bad fruit, and the issue is settled once and for all. If Self is denied then Sin becomes superfluous, and the problem of Evil is solved.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 27

His Fullness

“Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.” 
JOHN 1:16

Just how full is “full”? How many people does “all” include? We have to believe that full means complete, and all includes each one of us. “Of His fullness we have all received.” No one, no matter how “anointed” they may appear, has more fullness than anyone else. And if we have received it already then there is nothing for us to do to get it.
If I have already entered into a room and sat down in a chair then there is no need for me to try to get into the room anymore. I am there already. We entered into Christ when He entered into us: we do not have to enter into Him over and over again, we are merely abiding in Him.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 25

The Greatest Gift of All

“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” 
ROMANS 8:32

When God wished to test Abraham, He did not ask him to sacrifice a sheep, a ram, or a cow. He did not ask for Abraham’s gold or silver or tents or possessions. He went right to the heart of the matter and asked for Isaac, the son of promise. How gladly Abraham would have given anything and everything but his own beloved son. But in the willingness to give up his son, he was, in essence, laying everything down on the altar. When God owns what the man loves most, He owns everything the man has.
In the same way, the Father, wishing to demonstrate His great love for us, has not given us parts and pieces of things, but has sacrificed His only Son. By giving us His Son, He has, in essence and in fact, freely given us everything. When man possesses what God loves most, he owns everything God has.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 24

Everything for Him

“You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.” 
REVELATION 4:11

All things were created by Him, and everything was created for Him. For Him! Why this earth, the moon, the stars, the galaxies? Why the animals, the birds, the fish, the insects? Why men and women, angels, cherubim, and seraphim? For Him! All for Him!
God’s original thought is for Christ to fill every created thing with His Life, Love, and Glory. A design implies a Designer, a plan implies a Planner, and a creation implies a Creator. We are not drifting along aimlessly, and we did not come into being by accident. We were created by Him, and we were created for Him. We were created to love Him, and to be loved by Him.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 23

Led by the Life

We are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” 
PHILIPPIANS 3:3

We too quickly put our confidence in flesh and blood. It is easier and speedier to have someone tell us, “Yes, you should do this” or “No, you should not do that.” The question is not should or should not; the question is, how is the Life instructing you? If we do not know what the Life is telling us, then we should be still and be quiet until we DO know.
But all too often we know well enough what we are to do, and we are looking for a way out of it; or we are trying to get confirmation from this thing or that thing before we will obey. This is why we have a hard time hearing to begin with. How many times does God have to repeat Himself? How many times does He have to confirm something before we will obey? It sounds spiritual and humble to question and wait, but if the Life has already instructed us then any delay on our part is really disobedience.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

Hey Elaine

It's hard to believe 2015 is almost here!

I wanted to reach out to you and share my heart on some things.

Please go here to watch this when you have a few minutes:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/harvest2015/

I'm also giving an update on the Internet television project.

God is working everything together for good - for you and for me.

More soon!


I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org

PO Box 552, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA
December 22

Beyond "Born-Again"

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God... unless one is born
of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” 
JOHN 3:3,5

All of us are familiar with these verses, but we are not so familiar with what they actually mean. To state it simply, being born-again is not the goal, but the first step towards the goal: the goal is the Kingdom of God. We could state it like this: the narrow gate is not the goal, but it is the first thing we must pass through in order to enter the narrow path.
Our goal, and God’s goal, is not the gate, or we would not need a path. Though we begin our journey by entering the gate, the goal is at the end of the path, not at the beginning of the path.
Source: Embrace the Cross by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 21

Willing Vessels

“[Elisha] said, ‘Go, borrow... empty vessels...
then pour [oil] into all those vessels.’” 
2 KINGS 4:3,4

There is no lack of supply with the Lord. There is only a lack of willing vessels. The oil kept flowing until there were no more vessels to fill. A willing vessel is both yielded and empty. A vessel which is unwilling to be used cannot receive of the Infinite Supply. And a vessel which is already full cannot receive. The Life of the Lord is always looking for expression through a willing vessel that is both yielded and empty.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 19

Protecting Your Valuables

“Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” 
COLOSSIANS 2:8

If by the end of today there is less of me and more of Jesus then I am growing. Otherwise I am not. Jesus must become greater and greater in my life, and I must become lesser and lesser. This is the Path. Along this Path towards apprehending Christ as All in all, there are many pitfalls, snares, hindrances, and detours.
Thus, Paul says we are to be on our guard and let no man cheat us. In this context, the word “cheat” means, “to destroy and strip of one’s possessions; to deprive of something valuable by force.” Each believer has an incredible fullness and completeness in the Person of Jesus Christ. Christ is THE Gift of God, the ultimate Gift, and this Gift is precious, valuable, and of great worth.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 20

No End of His Increasing

“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants.” 
REVELATION 1:1

May God give us the revelation of Christ! Oh God, give us that vision of Him! If we are illuminated to see Him then we cannot remain small any longer. He is God’s Answer for smallness.
This Testimony is a boundary-breaking thing, an overshadowing thing, an expansive and increasing thing: “Of the increase of His Government and peace THERE SHALL BE NO END” (Isaiah 9:7). Not only will there be no end of His Kingdom, but there will be no end of HIS INCREASING! Oh God, we cannot fathom that! We cannot comprehend that! It cannot be contained. We cannot take it and fit it into our program. We have to find a way to fit into IT, and not the other way around.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 18

The Spiritual Significance of Light

“The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.” 
REVELATION 21:21

The spiritual governs the natural, while the natural helps us to interpret the spiritual. When God said, “Let there be light” He established the foundation of the spiritual and the natural world. In the natural world, according to what we can observe, light is increasing the size of our universe infinitely in every direction. But in the spiritual world, the True Light, Jesus Christ, is shining into spiritual darkness with an irresistible, unstoppable brightness.
When God said, “Let there be Light,” He was saying, “Let Christ be infinitely increased in all directions at once!” And it was so. He must increase, therefore He will increase, and He is increasing.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 17

Your Heart, His Bethany

“Being in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper, as He sat at the table, a woman came having an alabaster flask of very costly oil of spikenard. Then she broke the flask and poured it on His head.” 
MARK 14:3

Perhaps you are in a lonely place because the Lord desires to use you to establish a place in the wilderness for Him. If the Lord has impressed His Need for such a place on your heart, then declare your heart a “Bethany” place and take this up between yourself and the Lord. Give the Lord some ground to build upon. Give Him His place. Do not look for multitudes of people. It is better to have one, two, or three gathered together as the Lord’s Bethany than to have hundreds or thousands of people gathered together as something other than Bethany.
Is there anyone in all the world who can truly meet for the purpose of ministering to the Lord and “waste” themselves in worship, giving no thought to their own need, but laying down their lives wholly for the Lord’s satisfaction?
Source: The Church in the Wilderness by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

Hey Elaine

Have you seen those programs about "preppers"?

They're storing up massive amounts of food, supplies, and ammunition as they prepare (prep) for doomsday.

I personally know one website making $1,000,000 A MONTH selling *information* on how to prep.

Well, there's something similar in the Bible that I call "spiritual prepping."

You see, the disciples once asked Jesus to tell them when He would return, and what would be the signs of the end.

Since then, Bible prophecy teachers have focused on the timing of His return (and they have always gotten it wrong).

Because Jesus said, "You won't know the day or the hour."

And since we don't know, He taught us to be prepared at all times.

In fact, He focused most of His teaching (Matthew 24 and 25) on spiritual prepping - how we are to live while we wait for His return.

(Hint: it's not hiding out in a mountain retreat, waiting for the end of the world.)

So you can focus on what you DON'T know (when will Jesus return?).

Or, you can focus on what you DO know (how did He tell us to live while waiting?).

I think we need to focus on what we DO know.

Specifically...

"What ARE we supposed to be doing while waiting for His return?"

These two messages explain everything...

And you can download them for free.

- THE SIGNS OF THE END (Matthew 24)
- THE SHEEP AND THE GOATS (Matthew 25)

Go here to listen to them both:
http://theschoolofchrist.org/mp3/the-book-of-matthew/

(Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page.)



I am your brother,
Chip Brogden
http://TheSchoolOfChrist.Org


P.S. There's a lot of people today saying things like "Jesus did it all, so I don't have to do anything." That's one of those pseudo-spiritual phrases people like to say because it sounds cool and appeals to the lazy part of their flesh. It just isn't true. Jesus made it clear that there are things we MUST do to be ready for His return. The "I don't have to do anything" crowd are in for a shock. Listen to those two messages and see for yourself.

http://theschoolofchrist.org/mp3/the-book-of-matthew/

(Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page for Matthew 24 and 25.)
PO Box 552, Canandaigua, NY 14424, USA

December 16

All Things Working for Good

“You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good.” 
GENESIS 50:20

And that is the work of the Cross: to be able to see that God is working all things together for good. Even the things that we would not choose! Even the things that we do not like to go through! Even the things that we do not want to experience! Even the evil things that other people do to us! All of these things God can use for our good if we will embrace them and accept them and understand the reason why God permits them to come to us.
Everything we experience: whether it is evil or whether it is good; whether it is something we have not chosen or something that we have chosen; whether it is something we like or something we do not like; all things are working together to increase Christ and decrease us. That is the principle that we see in the life of Joseph.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 15

Revolutionary Prayer

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” 
LUKE 11:2

This is a revolutionary act. It is praying for the establishment of a Kingdom and a Will in which Christ has the preeminence as All in All. In this Kingdom there is no room for any earthly government, ruler, or king. In this Will there is no room for any human agenda. We know Jesus is Lord, yet we do not see all things submitted to Him (Hebrews 2:8).
So what do we do in the meantime? Overcomers do not just passively wait for Jesus to come back. They pray for His Kingdom to be established and for His Will to be performed. In this way they exercise power over the nations by preparing the way of the Lord. So this prayer is destructive in a natural sense, but constructive in a spiritual sense, for as the nations are decreased, Christ is increased (John 3:30).
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

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December 13

Exchanging My Life for His Life

“He who finds his life will lose it, and
he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” 
MATTHEW 10:39

Each time you lose a part of your life, you will find Christ’s Life is right there to fill the void. Every single time. This is a spiritual truth, and there are no exceptions to the rule. Think of what it means. The more I give to Him, the more He gives to me. I trade in my life in exchange for His Life.
Which would you rather have? Do you want your life, your failures, your mistakes, your frustrations, your sins? Or would you rather give that up in exchange for His Life? You can have either one you want, but you cannot have both.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden
©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 14

Being A Blessing

“[Jesus] went a little farther, and fell on the ground, and prayed… ‘Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” 
MARK 14:35,36

True prayer affords us the greatest opportunity for self-denial. When was the last time we offered up prayer, not for our agenda or plan, but for God’s Kingdom to come and for God’s Will to be done? When was the last time we came before the Lord, not to get our needs met, but to meet His Need? When was the last time we subjugated our own desires and wishes and gave ourselves wholly to praying for God’s Purpose to be accomplished? When was the last time we separated ourselves from family, friends, and business and sought the Lord; not to receive a blessing FROM Him, but to be a blessing TO Him?
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 12

The Valley of the Shadow of Death

“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” 
PSALM 23:4

God ordains that He will walk with us through death. He does not take us around it, or over it, or under it. He does not send us to walk it alone. But He walks with us through the valley of the shadow of death.
This is more prophetic than you may realize, for this “valley of the shadow of death” is a reference to the Cross. We fear no evil because the One Who calls us to take up the Cross is right there with us, comforting us with His rod and staff. This death will be the end of something, but it will also be the beginning of something – for death in the Irresistible Kingdom is never the end of the story, it is only the beginning of a new chapter.
Source: The Irresistible Kingdom by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!

December 11

Upheld By His Power

“Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
HEBREWS 1:3

Everything is upheld by His power, and all things are working together according to His Purpose. The Spirit searches all things and reveals them for what they are. Before Him everything is manifest, and there is nothing hidden from Him. There is no darkness that He does not penetrate, no deception that He cannot illuminate, no evil that He will not eradicate.
Source: Lord of All by Chip Brogden

©1997-2013 TheSchoolOfChrist.Org. Permission is granted for non-commercial (free) distribution provided this notice appears. Share this message with your friends!